Difficult Confessions
by Chopper Joe
Summary: Leon (Wolf's son) learns that, if you share your secrets with someone else, you might also learn something about them. IMPORTANT NOTICE: This little short story is connected to my "Star Fox: Sons of Legends" story so PLEASE read that first! Otherwise, this story will not make any sense.


**IMPORTANT! If you did not read the summary, please understand that this little short story is actually connected to my other story, "Star Fox, Sons of Legends" so PLEASE read that first! This story won't make any since if you don't read my other one.**

 **Part Two will still be coming out on the seventeenth. This is just a little short story while all my "fans" are waiting for that to come out, so please enjoy!**

 **Thank you, and God bless!**

 **-Chopper Joe**

* * *

Difficult Confessions

"I have to do this," Leon thought to himself, "He deserves to know the truth about me."

Leon took a deep breath as he stood outside of the bedroom that both he and his little brother Marcus shared. He was about to grab the door knob, but he hesitated. He knew Marcus would always be on his side, no matter what, but there was still a sense of doubt lounged into the depths of Leon's soul. He didn't know if Marcus was ready. He didn't even know if he was ready himself.

Three months had passed since the incident with the forest bandits, and Leon had been struggling with some troublesome thoughts during that time. Seeing how much he truly cared for his brother, and how much Marcus cared for him, Leon wondered if the time for openness and honesty with his brother had finally come.

He was going to tell Marcus about his real father.

At first, Leon was completely divided on the thought. After not being able to come up with a decision himself, he decided to consult his parents. He called Fox and Krystal to a private meeting without Marcus at the family dinner table, and the three discussed Leon's struggle. Both Krystal and Fox agreed that it would be best if Marcus knew the truth about Leon's father, and both of the parents told Leon that, if the thought was bothering him, then he should just come out with the truth.

Leon could hear Krystal and Fox's voice echo in his head.

"It's important for you two to be honest with each other." Fox said, "You're not the only one with secrets here Leon. If you tell him this now, he might confess something that will surprise you in the future."

"That's right." Krystal added, "If you two can establish this openness with each other now, then you're future together will be filled with much less suspicion."

Leon had originally asked for one of them to do it, but both of them said that this was a task that he would have to do alone if he wanted the best results.

"It has to come from me." Leon thought to himself, "It won't mean anything if Mom and Dad tell him."

Still though, the image of Marcus's face in utter terror as the brother he thought he knew turned out to be the son of a famous villain haunted Leon's mind. He thought Marcus would be scarred of him. He thought Marcus would tell him to go away. Even though Leon _knew_ Marcus wouldn't care, the horrific scene of losing the brother he loved so much was still implanted in Leon's brain.

And Leon couldn't explain why.

Leon closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to make the thought disappear.

"No," Leon thought to himself, "he wouldn't do that. Marcus isn't afraid of anything."

Slowly, Leon reached for the doorknob and opened the door. When he walked in, he could see Marcus dressed in his yellow PJ's while laying down on the floor, drawing with some colored pencils and paper. When Leon looked at the paper, he could see that Marcus was drawing a crude picture of their house (but it was very good artwork for an eight year old). The vulpine looked up at Leon and smiled brightly when he saw who it was.

"Wanna draw with me?" Marcus said as he went back to his artwork.

Leon smiled nervously, and the lupine walked over to sit down on the bottom mattress of the bunk bed he shared with Marcus.

"You know I can't draw like you." Leon said as he sat down.

"You can still draw." Marcus said without looking away from his paper, "It doesn't have to be good. Just do it for fun."

"Yeah, I might do that." Leon said without making any indication of moving.

Marcus paused and looked at Leon with curiosity.

"Are you feeling nervous about something?" Marcus asked.

Leon felt the butterfly's in his stomach quicken their pace. He knew his brother could sense his anxiety with ease.

"There's something I need to tell you." Leon said.

"What is it?" Marcus asked as he put down his pencil and looked at Leon.

Leon tapped the empty bed space next to him, indicating for Marcus to come sit down. Marcus obeyed, and got up from where he was lying down and sat next to Leon on the bed. Leon looked at Marcus, and then he looked away at the carpet, taking one last deep breath.

"Marcus," Leon began, "can you promise me something?"

"Sure." Marcus said without hesitation.

"No matter what I tell you… can you promise that you won't hate me for it?"

Marcus's eyes widened with surprised confusion.

"Why would I hate you for it?" Marcus asked.

"Just promise me, please." Leon asked with more desperation.

Marcus nodded, seeing that it was an easy promise to keep.

Leon looked down again. His claws gripped the mattress so hard that they actually ripped the fabric. He closed his eyes tightly, and finally spoke.

"My real father isn't Fox." he said.

Marcus tilted his head, looking even more confused.

"I know that," Marcus said, "but we're still family, right?"

"Oh course we are," Leon answered, "but that's not what I'm talking about. It's about my _real_ father"

Marcus looked at Leon intently, curious as to what was bothering his brother.

"What about him?" Marcus asked.

A few more seconds passed until Leon finally forced the words out.

"My real father is Wolf O'Donnell."

Marcus was completely silent. Leon was still looking at the floor with his eyes tightly shut. When Leon turned to see Marcus's reaction, the vulpine was simply starring at him with his eyes and mouth wide open.

"No way," Marcus said in awe, "are you being serious?"

"Dead serious." Leon answered, "Marcus, my father is one of the most famous criminals in the entire Lylat system."

Marcus simply starred at Leon with total bewilderment. When he spoke, it was the last thing Leon was expecting.

"What's he like?" Marcus asked.

Leon was taken completely off guard by Marcus's question.

"Wait, is that it?" Leon asked.

"Huh?" Marcus said, "What do you mean?"

"I mean is that really all you're gonna say!?" Leon asked with frustration in his voice.

"What do you expect me to say?" Marcus asked with genuine voice.

"You mean to tell me that you're not in any way bothered by that!?" Leon asked with a loud and agitated voice.

"Uh, should I be bothered?" Marcus asked as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yes!" Leon answered, "Marcus, our fathers tried to kill each other! They fought all the time! Plus, mine is a freaking criminal! How does that not bother you?"

Marcus looked away and put a hand under his chin as if he was thinking really hard about the question.

"Well, I don't know, it just doesn't bother me." Marcus answered as he looked back at Leon with a smile.

Leon was about to yell again, but he simply sighed and looked away. His irrational frustration quickly melted into absolute relief as he let out a large sigh and smiled.

"So, what was he like?" Marcus asked again, and his tail began wagging with excitement as he looked at Leon with a beaming smile, "Man, that must have been so cool to have him as a dad! Is it true about him being seven feet tall? Did he really outrun the Lylat Federation seventeen times? Is he really-

"Marcus," Leon interrupted as he looked at the vulpine with a weak smile, "I've never even seen him before. I grew up in the orphanage. The headmaster said that he dropped me off when I was only eight months old."

Marcus's smile quickly disappeared, and his ears dropped down as a train of guilt suddenly hit him right in the stomach.

"Oh," Marcus said as he looked away, "I'm sorry Leon, I didn't realize-

"It's okay." Leon interrupted, "In all honesty Marcus, I'm just glad you aren't afraid of me. Sometimes it's… hard to live with that fact, and I just felt like I needed to tell you."

Marcus nodded softly, and Leon looked away again. Neither of the boys talked for a while, until Marcus finally spoke.

"You can tell me anything Leon," Marcus said with an encouraging smile, "and I would never hate you for it."

Leon felt a warm fuzzy feeling form in his stomach as he looked away from Marcus with a smile. But Marcus felt his ears drop as he looked down again. There was something he really did want to tell Leon, and now seemed like the perfect time to say it.

"You're my only friend Leon." Marcus said.

Leon's ears perked up as he looked at the vulpine, who was looking down as if he was filled with shame.

"When I went to school a couple of years ago," Marcus began, "Mom and Dad didn't know about my telepathic powers. Up until that point, my psychic abilities hadn't really gone off at all. For some reason, on my first day of class, my powers just turned on and I… I couldn't control them."

Leon's was stunned. He wasn't expecting this out of Marcus.

"My mind started connecting with everyone else's minds," Marcus continued, but his voice was trembling a little more now, "the other kids they… they felt my emotions. And I was so scarred Leon. I was so afraid of my own ability. And everyone else could feel my emotions. Everyone else was affected by my fear. Mom didn't even know I had it. When she came to the school, she managed to help me control it, but I… I saw how the other kids and parents looked at me."

Leon turned to face Marcus with his whole body. The vulpine's eyes were tearing up.

"They looked at me like… like…"

"Like you were a monster." Leon finished for him.

Marcus looked up at Leon with tears flowing from his eyes.

"I thought there was something wrong with me." Marcus said with a choked up voice, "Mom told me about my power and said it wasn't my fault but… but I couldn't be around kids anymore. I was so alone Leon."

Leon swallowed deeply. Seeing Marcus cry like this broke his heart like nothing else.

"When Dad brought you to the forest," Marcus said again, "I was so scarred that you would be afraid of me. I-I didn't show it but… but I wanted a friend so badly. Leon… when you said you weren't afraid of me because of my power…"

Marcus managed to pull off a large smile.

"It made me so happy!" Marcus cried.

Leon pulled Marcus in for a hug, and the vulpine wrapped both of his arms around his big brother as if he would lose him once he let go. Marcus sobbed into Leon's chest, and Leon simply starred ahead with a look of absolute shock.

"Don't go Leon!" Marcus said with a muffled voice.

Leon didn't know what to say. This entire time, he thought he was the one who needed all the help. Now he could see that Marcus needed him just as much as he needed Marcus. He knew he was similar to Marcus in many ways, but he had no idea that he shared the same problems with him. Leon didn't realize that he meant so much to the little blue pup. The revelation made fat tears begin to pour from his eyes and a large smile spread across his face.

"You stupid idiot," Leon said with a choked up voice as he tightened his hug around Marcus, "I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Promise me." Marcus said as he lifted up his face to look Leon right in the eye, "Promise me you'll never leave us?"

Leon nodded and brought one of his hands up to scratch Marcus's ear.

"I promise I'll never leave you." Leon answered.

Marcus smiled again and buried his face back into Leon's chest.


End file.
